CDC Names Emory Injury Control Center to National Research Network

Newly-funded "center without walls" will study and treat a wide variety of injuries, issues and preventive measures impacting Georgia citizens and beyond

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designated theEmory Center for Injury Controlas one of its newest Injury Control Research Centers.

Emory University joins a group of 11 Injury Control Research Centers (ICRCs) throughout the United States, including a newly designated center at Washington University in St. Louis and renewed centers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Emory will receive a grant from the CDC totaling almost $5 million over five years to conduct research on a wide variety of injuries and their prevention and treatment. The centers’ activities will includeimproved prevention and treatment of traumatic brain injuries; the development ofinternational public health surveillance systems and trauma registries; evaluation of programs to prevent child abuse and youth violence; and reduction of motor vehicle injuries by reducing impaired driving and promoting use of protective helmets and safety belts.

The Emory Center for Injury Control is jointly located in the Department of Emergency Medicine in Emory School of Medicine, and in Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. According to Debra Houry, MD, Emory assistant professor of emergency medicine and the center’s director, the center is dedicated to reducing the health and economic impact of injuries in Atlanta, throughout Georgia and worldwide.

"This esteemed designation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes a truly collaborative and visionary effort by so many entities and individuals across Emory University and Atlanta, including our partners at Grady Memorial Hospital, Georgia State University, the Morehouse School of Medicine and the Georgia Department of Human Resources, and our local and state leadership, who have offered incredible support," says Houry.

The center's core and affiliate faculty, who span many different universities and areas of expertise, are widely recognized for their work on a variety of topics, ranging from prevention of intimate partner violence, child abuse and youth violence, to the reduction of motor vehicle injuries by reducing impaired driving and promoting use of protective helmets and safety belts. The center’s faculty also are actively engaged in international efforts to promote cost-effective injury surveillance systems and sustainable pre-hospital trauma care systems worldwide.

"We are honored to be chosen as one of a select few CDC Injury Control Research Centers across the country, and certainly excited about the possibilities of how this research will continue to help our communities here in Atlanta and across the state of Georgia,” says Thomas J. Lawley, MD, dean of Emory School of Medicine. “The program truly is a center without walls, and is a partnership including many diverse professionals and disciplines from Emory University and other Georgia universities, public and private organizations, and community stakeholders affected by injury and violence.”

"Because of this designation and tremendous support by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, theCenter for Injury Controlhere in Atlanta will now be in a better position to impact the lives of millions of citizens, both here in Georgia and across the globe. I am incredibly proud and thankful for so many who have supported our efforts to date," says Houry.

"Connecting research to communities is a primary focus for CDC and we are pleased theCenter for Injury Control at Emory Universityis now part of this critical research network," says Ileana Arias, PhD, director of CDC’s Injury Center. "The work at Emory and in Atlanta will fill a critical gap and can help shape a better understanding of how to improve the lives of those affected so that they can live to their full potential."

CDC will be fully funding 11 Injury Control Research Centers (ICRCs) at academic health centers throughout the United States. At each ICRC, scientists from a wide spectrum of disciplines focus upon discovering how to prevent and control injuries more effectively. They also work to identify critical knowledge gaps in injury risk and protection and also conduct research to address these gaps. The ICRC network also provides technical assistance to injury prevention and control programs within their geographic region.

The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University is an academic health science and service center focused on missions of teaching, research, health care and public service. Its components include schools of medicine, nursing, and public health; Yerkes National Primate Research Center; the Emory Winship Cancer Institute; and Emory Healthcare, the largest, most comprehensive health system in Georgia. The Woodruff Health Sciences Center has a $2.3 billion budget, 17,000 employees, 2,300 full-time and 1,900 affiliated faculty, 4,300 students and trainees, and a $4.9 billion economic impact on metro Atlanta.